The News Tribune’s 2017 Untouchables — the state’s most unbeatable high school wrestlers

Bonney Lake’s Brandon Kaylor, a junior, is undefeated at 43-0 and is hoping to win his third state title this weekend. Dean J. Koepflerdkoepfler@thenewstribune.com

Bonney Lake’s Brandon Kaylor, a junior, is undefeated at 43-0 and is hoping to win his third state title this weekend. Dean J. Koepflerdkoepfler@thenewstribune.com

BRANDON KAYLOR (113)

Bonney Lake, junior, 43-0 (119-4 career)

Takedowns are Kaylor’s thing. And for good reason. He owns Bonney Lake’s career record for takedowns (784) and has done so by attacking from the get-go. Kaylor sets the tone in matches, complementing his aggressive style with great technique and a variety of moves at his disposal. He’s the second wrestler in state history to win a title at the Reno Tournament of Champions. “He stays very offensive,” Bonney Lake coach Dan Pitsch, a former Untouchables selection at Spanaway Lake. “He gets to eight-, nine-, 10-point leads faster than anybody I’ve ever seen.”

MASON PHILLIPS (145)

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If Phillips’ ACL hadn’t sabotaged him as a freshman, costing him his first high school season, he might be gunning for his third state title this weekend. He’s already won three national youth titles and last summer Phillips won the 132-pound Cadet Greco-Roman title at the Fargo Nationals in North Dakota and took second in freestyle. Matches simply move slower for Phillips than others. “Mason has some of the most natural body awareness I have ever seen,” Stanwood coach Ray Mather said. “He feels things and sets moves up so far ahead even most elite wrestlers don’t see what’s coming.”

JAMES ROGERS (160)

Natalie Behring The Columbian

Battle Ground, sophomore, 38-0 (83-3 career)

Rogers has pinned every opponent he’s faced in the postseason so far. And he’s hoping to prove a lot at Mat Classic this weekend after losing the 145-pound final last year to Lake Stevens’ Trysten Perales. But how much improved and mature is Rogers? He went to North Dakota in the summer and won a 152-pound Cadet Greco-Roman title, 12-0, over Wisconsin’s Tyler Dow, joining Phillips as a national champion from Washington. “He’s an incredibly technical wrestler,” said Battle Ground coach Ray Rogers, James’ father. “He’s studied the sport ever since he could walk. He’s one of those kids who knows where his body is and he’s very technical.”

CLAI QUINTANILLA (132)

Colin Mulvany The Spokesman-Review

North Central, senior, 29-1 (139-10 career)

What a ride it has been for the Spokane region in high school wrestling. An area that has produced some of the best wrestlers in state history can now watch both Quintanilla and Dalton Young try to join the four-time champion fraternity (a feat 16 wrestlers have accomplished). Quintanilla’s brother, Izaec, owns North Central’s career wins record (152-11), was a three-time state champion and an Untouchables selection. Clai will enter the Tacoma Dome with 66 career pins. “He’s just a great kid,” North Central coach Luke Leifer said. “The full package – great work ethic, good grades, outstanding character.”

DALTON YOUNG (138)

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review

Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls, senior, 42-0 (166-0 career)

In a word — perfect. Young is not only trying to become a four-time state champion, he is attempting to finish off the first undefeated four-year career in Washington history. The last wrestler to go undefeated was Evergreen of Vancouver’s Ben VomBauer in 1998 for three seasons. Young combines a technician’s mind with a relentless work rate on the mat. “From a young age, he’s focused so much on positioning and never making mistakes technically,” Eagles coach Brad Perry said. The four-time Tri-State champion chose Stanford over Northwestern, Indiana and Princeton.

CAMERON GUERIN (115)

Sofia Jaramillo Yakima Herald-Republic

Davis, junior, 25-0 (92-0 career)

Guerin has achieved so much in this sport — and she’s nearly three-quarters through her high school career. She has two state titles; took second in the 115-pound class at the USA Cadet Women’s Nationals in North Dakota; and took second in the 52-kilogram class at the Body Bar National Championships in Texas. That took her to Peru, where she captured a bronze medal for the U.S. women’s freestyle team in the Pan American Cadet Championships. “She has an incredible work ethic,” Davis coach By Pham said. “And never backs down from a challenge. She works tirelessly to improve on a daily basis.”

BRENDA REYNA (125)

Scott Terrell Skagit Valley Herald

Mount Vernon, senior, 13-0 (88-11 career)

Reyna won the 115-pound state title last year — her first title after taking second as a sophomore and fourth as a freshman. Her wrestling dominance comes from her background in karate as a black belt. She backed up her state championship with a title in the 117-pound weight class at the USA women’s freestyle nationals in North Dakota and she won the 51-kilogram title at the Body Bar National Championships in Texas. “The speed she wrestles at isn’t like the other girls,” Mount Vernon coach Andrew Cook said. “And everything she hits, it’s really powerful. She’s not a very big girl, so I don’t know where she generates it from.”